Companies choosing to deploy dark web threat detection are looking for a variety of sensitive data in the deepest and darkest corners of the darknet. When data is discovered, it signals the possibility of an imminent cyberattack. Then it’s up to the organization to respond. What if information is found on a paste site?
A recent study cited by TechRadar suggests that a company whose data is found on paste sites is 88% more at risk of experiencing a cybersecurity incident. That’s not surprising. Paste sites tend to be lightly moderated or not moderated at all. Not only that, but they also welcome data posted anonymously. A paste site offers an open invitation to publish any and all information a poster wishes to make public.
Dark web threat detection is designed to look for paste site leaks around the clock. It is designed to look for stolen usernames and passwords, personally identifying information (PII), banking records, sensitive company data, and even national secrets. If any targeted data is found, warnings are sent out to the appropriate parties.
More About Paste Site Leaks
Generically speaking, a paste site is an online platform that allows users to anonymously upload and share text content. It is so named because users copy and paste data to suit their needs. The sites are common among code developers who like to share configuration files and code snippets.
Paste sites are innocuous enough when used for legitimate purposes. But because they lacked any form of strict moderation, they are an open door to illegitimate practices. Hackers find them extremely attractive because paste sites are highly susceptible to data leaks.
What types of data are compromised using paste site leaks? Here are just some examples:
- Personal data – Personal data is pretty common. It includes phone numbers, Social Security numbers, and email addresses.
- Company information – Stolen company information can include internal documents and source code. Trade secrets are big ticket items for hackers.
- Account credentials – Usernames and passwords for online accounts are common targets.
- Hacking resources – Exploits and other tools already used successfully for cyberattacks are commonly found.
Virtually any type of data a hacker deems valuable could be posted to a paste site. However, hackers sometimes use paste sites only to announce that they have information available elsewhere. They will use the sites in whatever way such sites benefit them the most.
How Paste Site Leaks Work
Paste site leaks don’t have to follow any distinguishable pattern. But by and large, hackers do what works. If something isn’t broken, they don’t bother trying to fix it. The result is that suspect paste site activities tend to fall under one of four categories:
- Data dump – A hacker will post stolen data. The data could be anything from account credentials to personal identifiable information.
- Leak announcement – A hacker will use a paste site to publicly announce a data breach for the purposes of pressuring victims to pay a ransom.
- Tool sharing – A number of hackers will use a paste site to share their tools. They will trade scripts, exploit kits, and even malware by simply uploading the data to the site.
- Illicit services – Paste sites are known to host ads for illicit services. Examples include ransomware-as-a-service and complete code kits for launching a cyberattack.
A sound dark web threat detection strategy includes automatically scanning the net for paste sites. Some of these sites are tucked away in hard-to-find corners of the darknet. But surprisingly, many of them operate in plain view on the traditional internet. Therefore, scanning cannot be limited simply to dark web activities. Organizations need to scan the entire internet.
The Risks Are Real
It’s not uncommon for security teams to not pay a lot of attention to paste sites and their risks. But the risks are real. Paste sites are often used to facilitate identity theft and financial fraud. The sites are both effective tools and easy to use resources for gathering and sharing information.
They represent reputational damage realized because of corporate espionage. Once again, paste sites are ideal for this sort of thing because they are so easily accessed and virtually unmoderated. They are wide open portals for publishing all sorts of corporate data.
Perhaps the most nefarious risk of all lies in fishing attacks and ransomware. The data hackers can glean from paste sites is ready made for these two types of attacks. In addition, legitimate users often facilitate attack by carelessly posting data. They aren’t trying to cause problems, but because they don’t know the lengths to which bad actors will go to get information, they never suspect that what they are posting could compromise an individual or organization.
The Role of Dark Web Threat Detection
All of this leads to the role dark web threat detection plays in stopping paste site leaks. Threat detection does not actually prevent the leaks from happening, but it does give organizations an opportunity to quickly respond.
According to DarkOwl, a company that specializes in the dark web, the key to dark web threat detection is continuous monitoring. Tools are designed to monitor paste sites for any mentions of sensitive data, company names, and even URLs. No mention is too minor.
Combating discovered leaks on paste sites dictates that the impacted organization implements strong data protection measures to prevent future breaches based on leaked data. Discovery also indicates the need to educate employees about sharing sensitive information.
So Simple, Yet So Effective
When you think about how complex certain aspects of digital technology are, there is a temptation to look at paste sites as extremely simple. They are. Yet, they are also effective as tools for launching cyberattacks. Perhaps their simplicity is their strength.
At any rate, one of the best ways to mitigate the damage of a paste site leak is to deploy dark web threat detection around the clock. Combining continuous monitoring with the appropriate mitigation strategies can minimize the damage when information makes its way to paste sites.
